The Green Bay Packers elevated wide receiver Juwann Winfree and safety Micah Abernathy from the practice squad to the gameday roster for Week 1’s showdown with the Minnesota Vikings.
Winfree’s activation is likely a direct result of Allen Lazard’s injury situation. Lazard, who is dealing with an ankle injury, is listed as doubtful and isn’t expected to play on Sunday. In Winfree, the Packers will have another experienced receiver in the offense available who can also play special teams. He could play snaps from scrimmage if the rookies – Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, specifically – aren’t ready or the Packers want a more reliable blocking presence.
Abernathy was one of the stars of the preseason. He’ll provide depth at safety, where Darnell Savage is just returning from a hamstring injury. Dallin Leavitt and Rudy Ford are primarily special teams players, and rookie Tariq Carpenter could be an inactive player on Sunday.
All teams are allowed to elevated up to two players from the preseason each week. An individual player can only be elevated from the practice squad three times per season, so Winfree and Abernathy will be down to only two more elevations following Week 1. On Monday, they will revert back to the practice squad.
